Alinta Energy Group

Australian shares fell for a second straight session on Thursday as investors were disappointed with the US existing home sales data and not expecting any inspiring results from new home sales. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index lost 72.2 points, or 1.6 per cent, to 4486.1 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index was off 71.9 points, or 1.6 per cent, at 4509.4.

Alinta Energy Group (ASX:AEJ), formerly known as Babcock & Brown Power, said it has received a number of indicative, non-binding, confidential bids while the power generator is in the process of the restructure of its finance facilities. These bids include bids for both whole of business and parts of the business.

Australian market Monday ended lower in a thin trade led by resources stocks, as commodities prices dropped on a sharp rise in US dollar. At the close, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index fell 25.7 points, or 0.6 per cent, at 4676.5, while the broader All Ordinaries lost 26 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 4695.2.

Wall Street closed mixed overnight as investors took profits after a massive gain in previous session. US shares mostly fell earlier in the day, but rebounded towards the close. Analysts said that market sentiment remained bullish.

Overnight the Dow index and S&P's 500 index posted their biggest falls in three months as the worse-than-expected manufacturing activity data in September and new jobless claims led to a broad sell-off. These figures overshadowed improvements in pending home sales, personal spending and construction spending, and dampened investors confidence on the economy recovery.

Wall Street closed with an eighth consecutive gain on Thursday, as a series of financial firms rose and energy stocks rallied on the rebound of crude oil prices. The US government figure for GDP showed that the US economy shrank at a 1 per cent annual pace in the second quarter, better than analysts' forecast of 1.5 per cent decline.

Yesterday the Australian shares closed lower. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index fell 56.6 points, or 1.5 per cent, at 3737.5 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index fell 52.6 points, or 1.1 per cent, to 3738 points. Analysts expect the market remained quiet until investors the corporate earnings bolster their confidence.

The Australian share market closed lower. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 82.6 points, or 2.06 per cent, at 3934.6, while the broader All Ordinaries index fell 76.8 points, or 1.92 per cent, to 3932.5. Resources stocks will benefit from the rise in commodities prices, but could be weighed down by the failure of investment deal between Rio Tinto and Chinese government backed Chinalco.

The Australian share market yesterday closed significantly lower as investors anticipated further drop in Europe and US. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index fell 132.7 points, or 3.4 per cent, to 3723.4, while the broader All Ordinaries index declined 131.7 points, or 3.4 per cent, to 3710.8.

The Australian shares ended with little changes on Friday. The S&P/ASX200 index just added 1 point to 3776.7 points, while the broader All Ordinaries gained 2.5 points to 3728.1. The local market is likely to be lifted on the back of the stronger metals prices. Today Rio Tinto's Australian annual meeting will also be the market focus.